Charlie's Rollercoaster
by Ramona O'bard
Summary: Set in D2 Goodwill Games. Charlie feels something for Adam but fears that Adam will never, never feel the same about him. Loads of angst and emotion to come. Chapter 3 in. Disclaimer: I obviously don't own ANY of the ducks. Which is a shame really ... P
1. Part 1: I fell head over heels in love

**Dear Anybody Who's Reading This,  
I'd appreciate it if you didn't flame me horribly for this is my very first piece of fanfiction I've ever written. This is Adam/Charlie slash. This first chapter is from Charlie's point of view. Based on the time of D2 Goodwill Games. -crosses fingers, waiting for angry readers to attack- :S**

**ROLLERCOASTER:**

**Chapter 1: "I fell head over heels in love"**

I don't know how and I don't know why, but one day, when I turned to look at Adam Banks, I fell head over heels in love.

Of course, at first I had no idea it was love. I didn't know what it was. But at times when I spoke with him or looked with him I felt irrational feelings of joy and excitement, of anxiety and sometimes paranoia. Not to mention, coming with my new fascination with him were odd dreams of him which dotted my thoughts time to time.

With all these bizarre things going on in my abnormal body, my hormonal teenage mind figured that I had a crush on Adam.

_Well, no big deal,_ I thought. I mean, we were just kids and this'll probably blow over in a day or two - only it didn't. During the off-season of hockey we Ducks hung around and did things. But it seemed that my time with Adam wasn't enough. I was really glad that Coach Bombay called us for the Goodwill Games because as shocking as it sounded I missed Adam. I went to the local school, while Banks, the _preppy_, was well, a preppy.

Like I said before, it was just too bizarre. The weirdest fact about my well, crush on him wasn't the fact that I was a guy and he was guy, but that we were so different.

I mean, he has what I (and probably the rest of the world) wants and thinks is perfect. He's got a totally normal family with a nice large house. He has an older brother who goes to a Prep high school, which he'll probably be going to in the future. He's a total hockey hotshot, while I, as I remember in District Five, was labeled by my friends "Spazway". He's rich. He never presses it on any of us because he isn't snobbish like that, but he's rich. He's probably got more money in his pocket that I'll ever have in my bank account.

I, on the other hand, live with my mom who's single. She struggles to handle her job at the cafe while trying to find others. She works so hard but pretends she doesn't get tired. But I can see through that so easily. At home she keeps everything nice and tidy, no matter if our place is small. So I guess I try to keep it neat too - I don't want to make more mess for her. I guess, I really appreciate my Mom. She's alone so I have to take care of her.

"Mom, you can stop cleaning, I'll do the dishes now." I tell her. But she'd be saying, "No, it's okay honey, I'm almost done." Then I'd splash soapy water on some of the clean dishes and say "Nup, sorry!" Mom would then splash _me_ with water and we'd end up having a _huge_ water fight, the dishes totally forgotten.

After a while, we'd be sitting on the kitchen floor, looking like we actually went swimming in the sink, we'd look around and see the kitchen covered in soapy water and we'd start laughing. Once we couldn't _stop_ laughing; it was just so hilarious! Mom had suds in her hair creating two large bunches of blonde which stuck out like branches and my head would be so covered in soap that I'd look like I was wearing a fluffy white hat. In the end Mom and I clean up together and (after re-washing the dishes, of course) then we'd flop on the couch and watch TV together. One of us would probably fall asleep so the other one would bring a blanket and cover us up and we'd snuggle on the couch together.

It was at times like these I _don't_ feel jealous of Adam Banks for having a father. I'm sure he never had this much fun with his parents. When I think about it, we _are_ pretty different, but he having a bit more money didn't matter to me in the end. Adam Banks was my best friend. I was happy where I was.

_To be continued..._

hockeypuck :).


	2. Part 2: Round up those Ducks, Charlie!

**Chapter 2: "Round Up Those Ducks, Charlie!"**

"Round up those Ducks, Charlie!"

Coach Bombay told me to, and before I knew it, I did.

First was easily Jesse. He was closest in my neighbourhood. Then we ran to the mall where Averman worked. Lucky we were on our skates, speeding, or we probably would've been kicked out.

We sprinted around, dodging security guards and climbing up the down escalator to the cinema where Averman was. We were kids, so, completely oblivious to his stutters ("but, but, but..!") we hurried off to find Guy, who definetely would be with Connie.

Well, like I said, we were kids. Totally ignorant of the breath-taking scenery, heart-turning music and whatever romantic time Guy was trying to have with Connie, we disregarded it.

"The quack attack is back, Jack!"

_Oh Averman._ And thus it was that Connie rushed off to join us, abandoning Guy to his solitary stance at the bridge. Just kidding.

"I was _this_ close!"

Locating Goldberg was easy enough. Watching him work was more intersting than it sounds. Especially when he wears his working hat. I suppose it reminds me of the ones they wear in the navy. He looked a little surprised at first when he saw a bunch of rowdy kids hanging on the window glass while he was in the middle of serving olives, but then he grinned and came out to us.

There was definetely one person whom I was extra glad to see again.

He was practising hockey by himself in his front yard.

"... in between his legs, past the goalie, he shoots... he scores!" Adam Banks raised his arms in triumph.

"Hey Cake-eater!" Jesse yelled, using his old nickname, "you wanna play some real hockey?"

He grinned and followed me out of the driveway to the way to the park. There was only one of us left to find.

Reaching the park after whooshing through the water fountain, knocking a guy into a wheelbarrow of cement (by accident, of course!) we skated the park.

On the path we all talked about what we knew about the Goodwill Games and how tough we thought it would be. Banks called out to me. "It's an international competition - it's us against the _world_!" I grinned back at him but perhaps he didn't notice since Goldberg went flying and rolling down the hill.

Meanwhile, waiting for us unsuspecting Ducks with a string trap were Banksie's old team mates; the Hawks. We would've been sitting Ducks had it not been for our last team member. Fulton wasn't usually violent - only when someone fought with us Ducks.

Fulton had them in their underwear tied to a tree with their own string. When he finished he let out a yell, "That'll teach 'em to mess with the Ducks! Yeah!!"

We all let out a cheer and skated down the park lane in V-formation with a rousing chorus of "Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!"

We were all here; it was time to meet Coach.

_To be continued..._

hockeypuck. :P


	3. Part 3: You can't, Mom! You can't!

_**Well, I invented a random guy to marry Casey Conway, Charlie's mother. I think I'll change that, though. She won't end up marrying Dave since Charlie hates it.**_

**Chapter 3: "You can't, Mom! You _can't_!"**

By the time I got back home, Mom was back from work but my excitement didn't die down.

"What on earth are you so excited about, honey?"

"Mom, you'll never believe what's happened!" Like seriously, she can't guess. So I tell her. "Mom, Coach Bombay got us, the Ducks, to play for the Junior Goodwill Games! Isn't that so cool?!"

"Oh, Charlie I'm so happy for you!"

We both laughed out aloud. "When do you guys leave?" Mom asked, with a hint of worry.

"In two weeks." I knew she'd be like this. I added, "Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine. We'll just be going for a while or so, then after we win, I'll back in no time!" She giggled at my confidence. "And anyway, I'm one who's supposed to be worrying about you. Who's gonna take care of you?"

"There is ... erm, something I wanted to talk about." A bit more serious now. She takes a deep breath and I sense that she's going to tell me something important. "Dave and I have been dating for the past year and a half. Well, he asked me to marry him."

She waited and watched for my opinion. I was more or less disturbed but I didn't let it show on the inside. Initial reactions were going to be "What?!" "Why?!" "What about me?" "No!" "What about the two of us?" Instead I closed my mouth and swallowed for a moment, then said, "Oh. Uh.. when?"

"Today. He asked me this afternoon; it's why I got back early, so I could tell you and ask your opinion."

Clearly she expected me to be pleased. I didn't mind, but I didn't particularly _like_ the guy. Not like Bombay. He's the closest adult to me apart from Mom.

"Well, what did you say?" I said, trying to stall for time.

"I said, I'd think about it and ask you. Well, Dave told me to go home, think about it, and ask you."

The fact that Dave cares about what I think surprises me a little. A little lost for words, I sighed, "Umm.. that's great mom. You _want_ to marry Dave, right?" All I want is her to be happy. If my mom's happy, then I'm fine, I guess.

I sat silent at the table while Mom went and made dinner. I was pondering about the whole marriage thing. Why couldn't things just stay the same way as they were before? But I told myself, I want Mom to be happy. And if marrying Dave makes her happy, then so be it.

But then a little voice, I had no idea existed, said quietly at first, _what about me?_

What about me? I knew, if I wasn't happy then Mom would never be. My thoughts about Dave - he wasn't that bad, but neither did I want him to be my father. And even if he married Mom he wouldn't seem like my father as much as Bombay did.

My uncertainty deepened to a dislike which I fueled with my thoughts. I added up the pros and cons. I didn't like the way Dave kept calling me "kiddo" even when I didn't like it. Or this thing he has for football, and the fact that he cares nothing for hockey. Those were the big cons. The pros were that he wasn't exactly like the other men that saw interest in my mother, then, when they took sight of me, went dashing away madly in the opposite direction. Dave had an ex-wife and a daughter of his own. Samantha was alright. Didn't know anything about hockey, which is a huge thing on my list of must-haves, though. I suppose Dave wasn't afraid of me like most men because he was used to being around children.

But there was also this fact that Dave hadn't even moved in with us yet; I hardly knew the guy. Well, comparing him to the only other adult I knew, Coach Bombay seemed much more of a father-figure to me than Dave had ever been.

"Charlie?"

I was awoken from my silent thoughts.

"Mm?"

"Charlie is something wrong? Something you want to tell me about?" Mom sounds concerned which is typical of her since she's always worrying about me. I'm the only one she's got, she tells me. But that could all change if she got married.

"Go on..."

This was my chance! This was my chance on telling Mom what a terrible mistake she would be making if she married Dave. I opened my mouth to tell her but held back, not trying to yell at her or accuse her of anything. Oh, _nuts_, I've gone mute.

"What is it?" She urged me.

I took a deep breath a let it all out - a bit _too_ much, I think.

"Mom, you can't marry Dave!"

Shock and hurt was her response. "What?!"

"Please, Mom, you can't marry Dave! You _can't_!" All of a sudden, there are tears in my eyes, threatening to stream down my face and I'm pleading with her. "You don't understand! I don't even know the guy! What if he changes his mind? What if you decide to get married but he leaves you at the aisle? What if you guys _do_ end up married but he hates me? Or I hate him? Or he leaves you because of me? _What if he hurts you, Mom?_"

I know I could end up grounded for my words, or even worse, Mom could end up getting married anyway.

Mom's lips are trembling but she speaks anyway.

"Go to your room, Charlie. Please don't speak like that about Dave, he only means well. I'm going to make a phone call." she says, very quietly.

I give a sniff and run away to my room and I think, _now you've done it._ _She's completely mad at you and you haven't changed a thing._

I drop onto my bed and sob into my pillow, silently, wishing that I'd just kept my mouth shut, then Mom would've been happy, I would've been happy for her, and we could've eaten dinner like normal; just the two of us, chatting. But now our lifelong partnership is ruined as a third force threatens to join us, for good or evil, I don't know. I just know that I'm a stupid idiot for blurting out like that and -

"Hello?"

I listen in to Mom's phone call obviously to Dave.

"Hi Dave. Well, I talked it over with him." A pause. ".. no ... no... I'm afraid he thinks it's too sudden. I just don't think we're ready yet." Another short pause. "I'm sorry, Dave. We can't get married yet. Yes... yes ... no, I'm sorry." A few more words are exchanged. "...Well, thankyou for being so understanding." Her voice isn't happy at all. She's upset, I can tell. "Yes, goodbye. Love you too." She hangs up the phone and turns around. I can see through the crack of my door that she has tears running down her face and I hate myself for putting them there.

Mom sees me watching her, as she never misses a thing and beckons me to come to her. I come silently out of my room and she takes me in her arms. "There. I've done it. We won't be marrying any time soon." Her voice is muffled in the back of my head. I know I should be at least a little joyful but I can't because my mother is still sad.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't know what I was doing." Now it's me who has tears down his face. I'm crying into her neck and she hugs me, just like she used to when I was little, when I ran into her room at night because of a nightmare.

"There there," she comforts me, "there's no need to cry. I just wanted you to be happy."

At this sentence I sob even harder for I now, know the real damage that I've done. My self-hate turns to self-loathing as I realise that if anything could make Mom happy, it was marrying Dave.

At night I lie in bed, thinking. I'm a lousy, lousy son. I break down into tears again. If something happens to Mom, I think I'll just kill myself. And through the whole night I cry myself to sleep, my tears mingled with sadness, self-hate, and guilt, because even though Mom's hurting so much right now, I still wanted, more than anything, Bombay to be my dad.

_To be continued..._

Hockeypuck :P.


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